This program discusses
the possibility of
breatharianism, or living
without eating food, and
is not a full instruction.
For your safety,
please do not attempt to
cease eating without
proper expert guidance.
For your safety,
please do not attempt to
cease eating without
proper expert guidance.

In scriptures,
the human body
is often referred to
as the temple of God.
Yet, it is quite
an uncommon privilege
for any soul to
attain this sacred abode
that houses the Divine,
as it is truly a blessing
to be reborn
as a human being.
On several occasions,
Supreme Master Ching Hai
has spoken about the rarity
of this phenomenon:

To be reincarnated in
the human world is hard.
You have to have
enough Human Quality.
You have to have
affinity with the parents
and with the society,
with the people around
which you are born.
Very difficult.
To be a human,
you need some merit.
You have done
something good
in the past
in order to be able
to pick a human birth.

As a living temple of God,
the human body
is fully equipped
with miraculous wonders
that can be awakened
in those who
are spiritually conscious
and have complete faith
in the Creator of all life.
Inedia,
Latin for “fasting,”
is the human ability
to live without food.
Since time immemorial,
there have always been
individuals who
can sustain themselves
on prana,
or the vital life force.
Through the grace of
the Providence, inediates,
people who follow
a food-free lifestyle,
can draw the energy
from nature
to nourish themselves:

They live on the chi
from the ground,
or from the forest,
and from the sun
and from the air.
They make use
of all that.
Or they live on love,
on faith alone.

These individuals are
known as breatharians(pranarians or inediates),
solarians, or waterians,
and they come from
all walks of life, from
different cultures, and
all corners of the world.

Indeed, the possibilities
and miracles in this life
as our benevolent Creator
has designed for us
are endless;
we only need to connect
within to recognize
our abounding largess
as God’s children.
Supreme Master Ching Hai
has lovingly
recommended
a weekly series on
Supreme Master Television
to introduce
those individuals
of the past and present
who have chosen to
live food-free on Earth.
May their spiritual stories
enthrall you;
may hearts be opened,
and horizons be expanded.
We now invite you
to join us for part 1
of our two-part program,
“Blessed Helen Enselmini
and Elizabeth the Good:
Breatharians
through Noble Ideals,”
on Between Master
and Disciples.

Welcome,
enlightened viewers.
Today’s feature examines
the conditions under which
two devoted worshippers
of God received the gift
of inedia.
People who are inediates
possess the extraordinary
ability to abstain from
eating food
and drinking liquids.
Some inediate
practitioners consider
overcoming the desire to
consume food and liquids
as a natural progression
of their spiritual growth.
Many view inediates
as visible examples
of persons who received
God’s blessings.
According to
the Catholic Church,

Inedia is the abstinence
from all nourishment
for great lengths of time.
Among the saints,
this gift is usually
manifested as the ability
to exist for months or years
with no food
but Holy Communion.

Documentation of
food-free individuals began
since the Middle Ages,
and most of them
were usually
about women inediates.
In “Holy Feast
and Holy Fast,”
Caroline Walker Bynum
cited some examples
of inediates who survived
on the Eucharist alone.
For example,
in the year 1225,
Roger of Wendover and
Matthew Paris reported:

“In that same year
in the city of Leicester
a certain recluse died
who, for seven years
before her death,
had never tasted food
except that she received
the body and blood
of the Lord
in communion on Sundays.
When the bishop
of Lincoln,
Hugh of Lincoln,
heard of this miracle,
he did not believe it.
Completely incredulous,
he therefore
had her strictly guarded
for fifteen days
by priests and clerics
until it was found that she
really took no nutriment
for her body in all that time.
And she always had a face
whiter than lily
but with a rosy tint,
as a sign of her virginal
purity and modesty.”

Similarly, another writer,
Roger Bacon,
gave a description
about a woman in Norwich
“who did not eat
for twenty years;
and she was fat
and good stature,
emitting no excretion
from her body,
as the bishop proved
by careful examination.”
The general belief is
that the human body
requires food to survive,
so how is it possible that
some people can survive
without consuming nutrients
to maintain
their bodies’ health?
Joachim M. Werdin,
a former Polish breatharian,
noted in his ebook,
“Lifestyle without Food,”
that when
a spiritually-minded person
reaches a certain level
of devotion with God,
he knows intuitively
that he no longer relies
on food and liquids
in order to have a
“perfectly working body.”

The intuition
is the best adviser.
If you can hear it well,
you need no advices.
If you cannot yet,
then judgment
is your best adviser.
When Between Master
and Disciples return
in just a moment,
we will look at the lives
of two women who chose
to give up physical food
for spiritual nourishment.
Please stay tuned
to Supreme Master
Television.

Welcome back
to today’s episode of
Between Master
and Disciples.
Let’s continue
with our feature on
“Blessed Helen Enselmini
and Elizabeth the Good:
Breatharians
through Noble Ideals.”

We now examine
the lives of two women
who followed their intuition
and became food-free,
but not before
their spiritual growth
warranted a natural
transition to the lifestyle
of an inediate.
Both happened
to practice under
the Catholic traditions,
however, not all inediates
practice the same faith,
nor is it necessary to
practice a certain religion
in order to
become food-free.
First,
we will look at the life of
Blessed Helen Enselmini
of Arcella and then
we will consider the life
of Elizabeth the Good.
On October 29, 1695,
Blessed Helen Enselmini
of Arcella was beatified
by the Catholic Pope
Innocent XII because
living as an inediate,
she exemplified
a selfless sacrifice
for the benefit
of her community.

The word inedia
was first used to describe
a fast-based lifestyle
within Catholic tradition,
which holds
that certain saints
were able to survive for
extended periods of time
without food or drink
other than the Eucharist.

Blessed Helen Enselmini
was born in Padua, Italy
in the year 1200.
At the age of 12,
she attended the church
of Saint George
during Lent.
The preacher,
Saint Francis of Assisi,
spoke of absolute poverty
and zealous acts of charity
with such clarity
that he inspired her to
dedicate her life to God.
Blessed Helen Enselmini
wanted to follow
his example of living
without worldly comforts
for the betterment
of humankind.
Saint Francis believed
it was godly for man
to live in poverty
based on a sermon
with the following
biblical message:

The disciples of Christ
were to possess
neither gold nor silver,
nor scrip for their journey,
nor two coats, nor shoes,
nor a staff…
and announce
the Kingdom of God.

Such a lifestyle included
living in hand-made huts
next to churches
and wearing
the coarse woolen tunics
of the poorest peasants.
As she learned more
about Saint Francis’
noble ideals,
Helen yearned to follow
his practice of penance,
brotherly love, and peace.
Also moved
by Saint Francis’ sermon
was Clare,
an 18-year-old heiress
in Assisi and a friend of
Blessed Helen Enselmini.
Clare begged Saint Francis
to allow her to become
a student of his teachings.
With his consent, Clare,
Blessed Helen Enselmini
and a third female friend
left their homes and
embarked on a life-path
in dedication to God
and selfless service
to humanity.

A procession of friars
carrying lighted torches
met the three girls and
led them to the church
of San Nicola Arcella
where Saint Francis waited.
Saint Francis cut off
their hair, clothed them
in Minorite habits
worn by nuns
and received them
as his spiritual daughters
into the life of poverty,
penance, and seclusion.
Blessed Helen Enselmini
received a veil
from Saint Francis and
became Sister Elena Elsimi.
Saint Francis provided
a domicile
for the pious maidens
in a chapel
adjoining Saint Damian’s
that he had rebuilt.
This became
the first monastery
of the Second
Franciscan Order
of Poor Ladies, which
later became known as
Poor Clares, Poor Ladies,
or the Sisters
of Saint Clare.
As did all Poor Clares,
Blessed Helen Enselmini
exercised contemplation
through mortification,
prayer, and meditation.

At Saint Clare’s request,
Pope Innocent III granted
an order for the Poor Clares
to lead a life
of absolute poverty,
for the community
as well as for individuals,
based on the principles
established by
Saint Benedict
who believed it was right
to live in poverty and,
as a vegetarian, eating
no more than necessary
for the strength
needed to serve others.
Like many Catholic nuns,
Blessed Helen Enselmini
chose to take her devotion
a step farther
by resisting the urge to
consume food and drinks.
Carolyn Walker Bynum
explained:

“To holy people themselves,
fasting, meditation,
and Eucharistic devotion
were often merely steps
toward God,
part of the preparation
for contemplation.”

Highly developed
spiritual practitioners
sometimes live food-free
for the benefit of others.
It was inner contentment
and personal
spiritual growth that
Blessed Helen Enselmini
sought during her lifetime.
She and other Poor Clares
believed that
this spiritual growth
could be achieved
by following the Rules
of Saint Francis.
According to the First
and Second Orders
of Saint Francis, she took
three vows of obedience,
absolute poverty,
and chastity.
Saint Francis considered
a life of poverty
to be the most
important characteristic
of his students.
Blessed Helen Enselmini
also adhered to his
Third Order of Penance,
whereby she respected
all religious faiths.
Eventually,
her life of purity and
dedication to aid others
resulted in
her giving up food
to live as a breatharian,
sustaining herself
on the divine love
and devotion to God.

How is it possible that
fasting for short periods
of time encourages
the body to live
without food and liquids
in the state of inedia?
According to
Joachim M. Werdin,
not only does the body
become cleansed during
a fast, or food-free state,
but the mind also clears.
The clarity
of the body and mind
raises the practitioners’
spiritual awareness
for several reasons:

“… toxins come
to the surface and
blockages get released…
this mind cleansing
makes the person
to perceive things
as they truly are.
That's why
the person can realize
the true sense of life…”

Blessed Helen Enselmini
did not give up food
instantly.
It was a gradual process.
Join us again next Sunday
when we continue
with our feature on
Blessed Helen Enselmini
and Elizabeth the Good,
the early Catholic
breatharian nuns.

We appreciate
your company
for today’s episode of
Between Master
and Disciples.
Please stay tuned
to Supreme Master
Television for
Good People, Good Works,
coming up after
Noteworthy News.
We wish you
much love and kindness
in your everyday life.
God bless
and farewell for now.

Through their noble
ideals and sacrifice
in the service of others,
Blessed Helen Enselmini
and Elizabeth
the Good achieved
an inner tranquility that
only comes to those
whose lives and thoughts
are immersed
in their love for God.
Their complete and
unquestionable faith
in God had given them
the ability to live
food-free, relying
on the grace of God
as their only source
of sustenance.
Tune in to
Supreme Master
Television on Sunday,
September 12,
for our program,
“Blessed Helen Enselmini
and Elizabeth the Good:
Breatharians
through Noble Ideals,”
on Between Master
and Disciples.

Tune in to Supreme
Master Television today
for our program,
“Blessed Helen Enselmini
and Elizabeth the Good:
Breatharians
through Noble Ideals,”
on Between Master
and Disciples.

This program discusses
the possibility of
breatharianism, or living
without eating food, and
is not a full instruction.
For your safety,
please do not attempt to
cease eating without
proper expert guidance.

In scriptures,
the human body
is often referred to
as the temple of God.
Yet, it is quite
an uncommon privilege
for any soul to
attain this sacred abode
that houses the Divine,
as it is truly a blessing
to be reborn
as a human being.
On several occasions,
Supreme Master Ching Hai
has spoken about the rarity
of this phenomenon:

SM: To be reincarnated in
the human world is hard.
You have to have
enough Human Quality.
You have to have
affinity with the parents
and with the society,
with the people around
which you are born.
Very difficult.
To be a human,
you need some merit.
You have done
something good
in the past
in order to be able
to pick a human birth.

HOST:
As a living temple of God,
the human body
is fully equipped
with miraculous wonders
that can be awakened
in those who
are spiritually conscious
and have complete faith
in the Creator of all life.
Inedia,
Latin for “fasting,”
is the human ability
to live without food.
Since time immemorial,
there have always been
individuals who
can sustain themselves
on prana,
or the vital life force.
Through the grace of
the Providence, inediates,
people who follow
a food-free lifestyle,
can draw the energy
from nature
to nourish themselves:

SM: They live on the chi
from the ground,
or from the forest,
and from the sun
and from the air.
They make use
of all that.
Or they live on love,
on faith alone.
HOST:
These individuals are
known as breatharians
(pranarians or inediates),
solarians, or waterians,
and they come from
all walks of life, from
different cultures, and
all corners of the world.

Indeed, the possibilities
and miracles in this life
as our benevolent Creator
has designed for us
are endless;
we only need to connect
within to recognize
our abounding largess
as God’s children.
Supreme Master Ching Hai
has lovingly
recommended
a weekly series on
Supreme Master Television
to introduce
those individuals
of the past and present
who have chosen to
live food-free on Earth.
May their spiritual stories
enthrall you;
may hearts be opened,
and horizons be expanded.
We now invite you
to join us for part 2
of our two-part program,
“Blessed Helen Enselmini
and Elizabeth the Good:
Breatharians
through Noble Ideals,”
on Between Master
and Disciples.

HOST:
In the history of
Catholicism, there existed
quite a few saints and
well-known individuals
who, as a result of
their pure love for Jesus
or complete devotion
to God, were able to
dispense with the need
for physical food,
sustaining themselves
solely on the grace of God.
According to
the Catholic Church,
[NOTE: Use a different voice for this part]
“Inedia is the abstinence
from all nourishment
for great lengths of time.
Among the saints, this gift
is usually manifested
as the ability to exist
for months or years
with no food but
the Holy Communion.”

HOST:
Blessed Helen Enselmini
of Arcella, Italy,
led such a life
as an inediate.
In part 1, we learned that
she was greatly influenced
by the selfless ideals
of Saint Francis of Assisi.
Together with her friend
Clare of Assisi and
another female companion,
they became
the first members of the
Second Franciscan Order
of Poor Ladies, which
later became known as
Poor Clares, Poor Ladies,
or the Sisters
of Saint Clare.
As a Poor Clare,
Blessed Helen Enselmini
practiced daily mortification,
prayer, and meditation
with the belief
that they would lead her
closer to God.

Unlike others
in the monastery,
she took a step further
in her devotion to God by
giving up food and drink
as a personal sacrifice
on behalf of humankind.
Blessed Helen Enselmini’s
path to becoming food-free
was gradual.
She started out by fasting
for several months at a time,
surviving on
the grace of God
with just the wafer-thin
Holy Communion.
She deeply believed
that her asceticism
and material sacrifice
would minimize
or alleviate the sufferings
and burdens of others.
Supreme Master Ching Hai
has often discussed
the significance of
developing our wisdom
and achieving
spiritual growth through
our selfless actions
of serving others.

Take care of our
moral responsibilities,
help our neighbors
as much as we can,
sacrifice
some of our wealth,
our palate’s desires
in order to help in
developing the world,
and help the other needy
brothers and sisters.
In this way,
we contribute our effort
to build a better nation
in the future generation
to come. It is not a loss.

But We can try it now,
we can try it tomorrow,
and see how things go,
see how much better we feel,
how beneficial
it is to our nation
and to the world at large.
But this should be done,
the precepts should
accompany wisdom,;
the goodness should,
the good deeds, thoughts
and speech should
be accompanied by meditation
on God's quality,
by knowing
how to tune in
with the God storehouse,
the Godness,
the God qualities,
with the storehouse
of God-quality.

HOST:
When Between Master
and Disciples returns
in just a moment,
we will examine
the benevolent life
of Elizabeth the Good
who had also chosen
to live food-free as
a selfless service to others.
Please stay tuned
to Supreme Master
Television.

HOST:
Welcome back
to today’s episode of
Between Master
and Disciples.
Let’s continue
with our feature,
“Blessed Helen Enselmini
and Elizabeth the Good:
Breatharians
through Noble Ideals.”

HOST:
Blessed Helen Enselmini
continued her life
abstaining from
food and liquids for
almost 20 additional years.
In 1242,
while in her early forties,
she peacefully passed away
due to natural causes.
The Catholic Church
recognized her selfless acts
by placing her remains
in a glass coffin
within the church
of San Nicola Arcella.
Just as
Blessed Helen Enselmini
grew into an example
of the amazing blessings
that God bestows upon those
who dedicated their time
with understanding
the Holy Spirit,
Blessed Elizabeth Achler,
also known as
Betha the Good,
received the gift of inedia.
Both happened to follow
the order of Saint Francis
and both sacrificed
their comforts
with the intention
to help others.

On November 25, 1386,
a baby girl was born
at Waldee, Wurttemberg,
in the town
of Swabia, Germany.
Her parents,
John and Anne Achler,
named their daughter,
Elizabeth, which means
“worshipper of God.”
Elizabeth the Good grew up
in a poor household
that did not
support her desire
to follow a religious path.
Despite the obstacles,
her heart remained pure
and focused on God.
She studied
under the guidance
of her confessor,
Conrad Kugelin, provost
of the Canons Regular
of St. Augustine in
St. Peter’s Catholic Church.

In her early teens,
Elizabeth the Good
perfected
her spiritual awareness.
She became
a Franciscan tertiary
by the time
she was 14 years old.
She begged for permission
from her parents
to leave the family home
and live with other women
of the Third Order
of St. Francis.
Elizabeth the Good’s
parents finally consented.
and thus,
A pious tertiary house
took her in
and Elizabeth the Good
earned her keep
by weaving fabrics
alongside the owner
and other Sisters.

The little money
they earned
was not enough to provide
a comfortable lifestyle.
For three years,
the tertiary Sisters lived
a humble existence
in poverty
without adequate food
and provisions.
Elizabeth the Good’s
confessor and mentor,
Conrad Kugelin,
opened a convent
for tertiaries in Reute,
which was located
outside Waldee.
Elizabeth the Good
and four fellow tertiaries
moved to Reute,
where they deepened
their spiritual growth
by living in seclusion.

Each member
of the convent contributed
to the maintenance
of running the home,
with Elizabeth the Good
working in the kitchen.
She soon gained
the nickname,
“The Recluse.”
Extending her devotion
beyond the daily lessons
and practices,
Elizabeth the Good spent
long hours in the garden
prostrating on a hard stone
in deep prayer
and contemplation.
She experienced ecstasies
where her physical body
remained in place yet
her inner consciousness
received visions
of Heaven and purgatory.

Her confessor
at the Franciscan tertiary
respected
Elizabeth the Good’s purity
and considered her
above absolution.
Her devotion to God
revealed itself in the signs
of the stigmata, whereby
the marks of the Passion
with open wounds like those
suffered by Jesus Christ
while on the Cross
appeared on
Elizabeth the Good’s body.
Cuts materialized
around her head
as though she wore
a crown of thorns.
Painful wounds
experienced by
Jesus Christ
during the Scourging
opened on her body.
Although
Elizabeth the Good
suffered from the agony
of crucifixion at all times,
the wounds opened
and bled only on Fridays
and during Lent.
Just as
Blessed Helen Enselmini
experienced miracles
in her life as a result
of her selfless sufferings,
Elizabeth the Good also
fasted with such devotion
that she acquired the gift
of inedia.

Living without
food and liquids
through God’s grace
is considered to be a gift
because without the
desire and need for food,
Elizabeth the Good
purified her body and mind
to such a high level
of consciousness
that her spiritual
awareness expanded.
Heavens rewarded
Elizabeth the Good’s
purification and piousness
by revealing to her
the peace and joy of those
who were blessed by God.
She had also gained
much knowledge through
her visions of souls
recovering in purgatory.

After a period of time,
Elizabeth was also given
the gift of prophecy –
she could accurately
predict events in the future
and could see through
people’s hearts.
Elizabeth the Good
remained humble
throughout her life,
never proud with regard
to her gifts from
the Divine Providence.
Her confessor
recorded her life and
the Bishop of Constance
acknowledged
her prophecies.
On November 25, 1420,
Elizabeth the Good
died of natural causes
in Reute, Germany, and
there she was buried at
the local Catholic Church.

In 1623,
a provost of Waldee
opened her tomb and
the citizens of Swabia
venerated her for having
a miraculous lifestyle.
Thereafter,
accounts of miracles
from worshipers of God
were attributed to her.
The Holy See
ratified her ability
to bring about miracles
and she was beatified
on July 19, 1766,
as Elizabeth the Good
by Pope Clement XIII.
The 25th day
of November
marked her Memorial or
feast day for Franciscans.
Through their noble ideals
and sacrifice
in the service of others,
Blessed Helen Enselmini
and Elizabeth the Good
achieved
an inner tranquility
that only comes to those
whose lives and thoughts
are immersed
in their love for God.

Indeed, their complete
and unquestionable faith
in God had given them
the ability
to live food-free,
relying on the grace of God
as their only source
of sustenance.
Though they never
sought the honor,
living modestly
by sacrificing all physical
needs and comfort
as a pledge
to bear the suffering
of their fellow beings,
breatharians
Blessed Helen Enselmini
and Elizabeth the Good
were honored by
the Catholic Church.

We appreciate
your wise company
for today’s episode of
Between Master
and Disciples.
Please stay tuned
to Supreme Master
Television for
Good People, Good Works,
coming up after
Noteworthy News.
In God’s boundless
blessings, may you
continue on your path
of higher consciousness.
Farewell until next time.

Isabelle Hercelin has
been living without the
need for physical food.
[Insert interview excerpt (in French): Short-Q&A]
Isabelle:
It’s not easy to express,
but it fills you up
100,000 times more
and 100,000 times better,
and it is 100 times
more satisfying and
100 times better than
real food, even though
I truly thank the Earth
for everything
that she has given me
until now.

VOICE:
Tune in to
Supreme Master Television
on Sunday, September 19,
for our program,
“Isabelle Hercelin:
Breatharianism
as a Way of Life,”
on Between Master
and Disciples.
TODAY (Sunday EP 1466)
Tune in to
Supreme Master Television
today for our program,
“Isabelle Hercelin:
Breatharianism
as a Way of Life,”
on Between Master
and Disciples.